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Make no mistake - Dove Award nominee KJ-52 makes incredible hip-hop music! He continually strives for excellence in his recordings by bringing only the tightest, most infectious grooves, melodies and rhymes to the table. He is a gifted lyricist who takes great pride in painting vivid images through his words.
But for KJ-52 (real name Jonah Sorrentino), all of that is nothing without the message of Christ. This is reflected on his latest album Collaborations on Uprok Records, in stores now. "This record right here is basically me collaborating with different artists, different styles … but when it comes down to it, the bottom line foundation is Christ. What He's done in my life and how He's changed my life," said KJ-52.
"Collaborations" is a heartfelt collection of songs that showcase the different aspects of KJ-52's personality. The different sides of KJ-52 are emphasized through collaborations with a wide variety of diverse guest artists and producers including John Reuben, ill harmonics, Pillar, Thousand Foot Krutch, Mars ILL and Pigeon John.
The messages and moods on Collaborations range from the serious "Dear Slim", to "Sonshine", an R&B-tinged love song to Christ; to "Rise Up" a rock-rap anthem for the extreme generation; to "Revenge of the Nerds", a tongue in cheek, fun track about KJ-52 being a nerd in high school. "I want to have practical music that impacts people where they're while remaining a Godly alternative for kids and parents, youth pastors and programmers," KJ-52 said.
KJ-52 takes his faith seriously. Without it, he might have never left his life as a rebellious youth in the Tampa, Florida ghetto. "Growing up, I had a lot of anger, bitterness and hurt," he explained. "A lot of it was due to coming from a broken home, experiencing divorce and the effects that it can have on someone. Lacking stability led to me making a lot of negative life choices – partying, drinking, chasing after girls, i.e. the negative sides of hip hop."
KJ-52's life underwent a radical change when he left the emptiness of his past life and became a Christian. "It was a process," he said. "It started off with a family member challenging me. From there, the more sought after Christ, the more I wanted. It was more of my own personal search. I was hungry for something real and Christ fulfilled that hunger."
KJ-52 has been writing raps since the age of 12, and feel in love with the hip-hop culture after hearing "It Takes Two" by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock. After getting saved, however he knew the hip-hop scene was too negative for him to continue in it. "Hip-hop was like my religion," KJ-52 comments. "But I had to give it up. Ironically, God gave me back hip-hop for a different purpose: to glorify Him and to reach people and build them up."
To pursue his calling, KJ-52 formed the Sons of Intellect crew with former partner Golden Child in 1996. They began recording and performing music, and were opening shows for hip-hop icons like Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and A Tribe Called Quest.
Around 1998, Golden Child left the Sons of Intellect and KJ-52 started exploring different, more progressive styles of hip-hop. He finished the independent version of the 7th Avenue record and started sending demos out.
Renowned producer Todd Collins (co-founder of Gotee Records along with Toby McKeehan) heard one of the demos and formed a bond with KJ-52 that eventually led to his signing with Nashville-based Essential Records. At this time KJ was a full time inner city youth pastor with over a 100 project kids being bussed in from the ghetto section of Ft. Myers Florida. While many teens lives were being touched at this time, KJ knew that something else was on the horizon for him. With the doors being opened to pursue his dream of a recording contract KJ reluctantly packed up and went to Nashville to record 7th Avenue.
KJ-52's popular debut album on Essential, 7th Avenue, was released in April 2000. On 7th Avenue he was able to collaborate with Grits, Knowdaverbs, Cross Movement and other established acts, hoping to solidify himself as one of Christian hip-hop's premiere new artists. Several songs were hits off the album including "The Hardway" (a remake of the classic DC Talk song), "We Rock The Mic", and "12 Round KO" which was prominently featured in the Carmen movie "The Champion".
Now, two years later, KJ-52 is confident Collaborations eclipses "7th Avenue" in terms of quality. He regards it as his best work to date. "There's been a big growth artistically between 7th Avenue and Collaborations," he said. "I think I've learned a lot more and I'm more experienced. It's a more focused record, and there's growth artistically."
"It's a little more mainstream or commercial friendly than the last record," he continued. "That came from touring for two years and seeing the whole world as opposed to being just some underground artist excited about putting out a record."
KJ-52's albums and live performances are an important aspect of his ministry, but he stressed that they are only part of a wide array of ways he is reaching out to youth. "I do a lot of preaching and teaching at different shows," he said. "I just sent out 31 audio devotionals in addition to working on a devotional book. My ministry is not just confident to onstage performing."
Building relationships with kids while touring and teaching the last two years gave KJ-52 a mountain of relevant material to write about on Collaborations. "Getting out there and experiencing the world broadens your view. I couldn't even go into how much I've learned after touring. You find out where kids are really at and not just where you think they are."
I hope you understand that I ain't even dissing you
And even though it's a song you'll probably never listen to
See what I send you is this:
Is that a life without Christ is just a life that is never fixed" — from "Dear Slim"
"After my first record came out I got a lot of Slim Shady comparisons which left me pretty irritated! However, kids started coming up to me and saying how my music got them off of Eminem, how they would throw his CD out and purchase mine. It opened my eyes to see that 'if that's how God wants to use me, so be it.'"
That revelation led to KJ-52's penning of one of Collaborations most moving tracks, "Dear Slim". It's formatted along the lines of Eminem's "Stan" song where an obsessed fan writes to the rapper. In "Dear Slim", KJ-52 writes to share his heart in a way that is confrontational but stays compassionate. "I didn't want to come at Eminem in a condemning manner, but with the love of Christ," said KJ-52. "And even though it may be a song directed to Eminem, it shows God's heartbeat to those who are lost and don't know Christ."
"He may diss me right back, I don't know, the bottom line is that I hope he gets a hold of who God is," KJ-52 continued. "On his first record 'Infinite' he has a line talking about Christ and being a Christian. I believe somewhere along the line he has gotten caught up in the things of this world."
"It's a fact that it's a serious choice you're choosing
To sleep with him 'cause you just afraid that you're gonna lose him
You can't see the consequences of what you doing
He gonna leave you ruined it's your body he's just using" — from "Wait for You"
KJ-52 chose to remain abstinent and was a virgin before he married his wife, he know uses this as a platform to challenge kids to do the same. "We all know that this society we live in today is a sex-craved, sex-driven society," KJ-52 said. "So often, taking a stand for God when it comes to sexual purity is downplayed. It's treated like it is bad. I wanted to write this track as an encouragement to people to tell them not to give in."
Collaborations is a unique project that unifies a large variety of artists and producers in the Christian hip-hop scene. KJ-52 said it was something he always wanted to do. "My idea was to showcase different styles," KJ-52 explained. "Every song is reflective of the particular emcee I'm collaborating with. Each song brings out a different side of me. For example, he song with John Reuben is my party side, the Mars ILL song is my underground side, the song with Pigeon John is my silly side, and the song with Thousand Foot Krutch and Pillar is my Rock side."
In addition, Playdough of ill harmonics, Golden Child and Billy Puddles (aka Supplanta) also share the microphone with KJ-52 on Collaborations. The impressive guest list of emcees on Collaborations includes an all-star lineup of beat makers pitched in to create the album's eclectic sound. Todd Collins (who executive produced the album), DJ Dust of Mars ILL, Blake Knight and Playdough of ill harmonics, Billy Puddles, DJ Deftone, Ohmega Watts of Acts 29, and Flynn of L.A. Symphony all contribute beats.
Branching out to the rock audience was also important to KJ-52 on Collaborations. Rob Beckley of Pillar and Trevor of Thousand Foot Krutch guest on the "extreme" anthem "Rise Up". "Sonshine" (featuring the sweet, mellow vocals of Nirva Dorsaint) is a love song from KJ-52 to Jesus. It caters to the Contemporary Christian audience and will help them see the viability of hip-hop as a genuine form of worship music.
While there has been growth in the CCM market, KJ-52 feels hip-hop has not been given enough of a chance to shine as a relevant CCM sub-genre. His hope is that Collaborations will be the album to help more people take notice. "I've been doing this for ten years as a Christian emcee and I've definitely seen a lot of things change for the better, but we still a ways to go. Hopefully my record will help to push that boundary and maybe put a face on Christian hip-hop."
If the preliminary feedback on the record is an indication of the response to come, then KJ-52's words may turn out to be truer than expected.
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